The Broken Girl
by MarissaRose
Summary: AU RM - He knew he shouldn't have, he knew he should just stay seated and leave her alone, but watching her run down there by herself in that skirt and top, his head wasn't working anymore.


**A/N - So, people, as I love to tell you, I have Internet! Best thing ever invented; I swear. Well, okay, maybe not the best thing; but I swear the next best thing to The OC. So... anyways, I'm in a very light hearted mood right now. I'm at my Aunts, and I'm so happy I could shower you all with a smile and never get tired. Don't y'all just love March break? Because it seems to me that it makes everyone happy; especially if you go away from your home town. For me it gives me a place to run from my old life, and give me a new one for a week. I love March break =]. Oh, and this is set back when they were thirteen, and Ryan lives in Newport, and Marissa isn't super rich.**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing.**

**The Broken Girl.**

Ryan Atwood was thirteen. He went to school at Newport Union, or public school as the people from Harbor private school liked to call it. He lived in the numbered streets in a little beaten down house. It wasn't something that he should be proud to call his; but it was a roof over their heads. Who was he to say anything anyway? He was just the young unwanted child that they kept under their roof. His older brother, Trey, was lucky. He was long gone. Into the sunset. Unfortunately, Trey forgot the promise they had made together when they were younger; they would always stick together.

When Trey left, he gave Ryan a pat on the back, and five dollars. He actually didn't think he even spent that five-dollar bill, but he wasn't about to. It was the last thing that Trey had given him. For all Ryan knew his older brother could be dead, living on the streets, or anywhere really. With Trey you could never be certain. It made Ryan sick to his stomach just to think about it. The only person in his life that he had the slightest respect for was gone. Nowhere to be seen or heard of.

Trey didn't tell him he was leaving before the day. Ryan guessed that it was for his own good, but could never figure out why Trey hadn't told him. He could have spent more time with him, went for more walks with him told him more things about his life; but he didn't. Trey had one morning woke him up, and told him he was leaving. It was sudden, and it jerked Ryan's life to a downhill spiral. It almost caused him to even cry after he heard the distance sound of his brother's car drive off. Then he remembered the words Trey had told him when he was six and fell down and scraped his knee; Atwood's never cry. It was pretty pathetic to think that said person couldn't cry, but if Trey said it, Ryan listened. Trey had never been wrong about things before; who was he to not listen.

For long days after, Ryan waited for his beat up old red truck to pull into the driveway, and Trey's deep voice yelling at him to pack his stuff and to hurry because they needed to be out of here. Ryan only wished. And still after a year and a half, Trey still never did come back for him. Ryan kept waiting though. He always stead an extra two hours where Trey always used to pick him up, hoping that maybe one day he would see the truck. He was still yet to see it.

He always sat on a concert barrier, on the side of the school in a long dark alley. Trey had told him that it was better if no one seen him, so he wouldn't have to fight off the kids that were bullies. It worked, because for whatever reason, the bullies that tried to take the money he had left after lunch never came down this alley. Ryan later discovered that the alley was normally a shooting rally place where all the races fought off each other. Black against white. Natives against Americans. And far many others that Ryan had no clue about. He just couldn't get the reason why they would do such a thing. He believed everybody in the world deserved a chance, no matter what color or race. And an even better thing that made him wonder was why Trey had sent him here. The answer; Trey knew one of the gangs, and he swore they would protect him with all they had. Ryan wasn't so sure. He knew people had respect towards Trey, but he didn't know if they still were protecting him now. Whatever the case, Ryan didn't care, and came to the place where he could be left alone to think, and wait for Trey to pick him up.

On this particular day, he was sitting there, thinking and waiting for the truck to come and pick him up. He was minding his own business, and keeping to himself. Not like there was anyone around the alley anyways, so that's why he heard the pat of running feet and sobs coming from someone running down the alley. She had her eyes covered with her hands as Ryan guessed the tears were streaming down. She was wearing those shoes that he always called slippers, and a jean skirt. She had on a small white tank top, which he figured must be cold at this time of day. He watched her running towards him, and then past, still with her hands over her face and sobbing. He figured she probably didn't see him, as she didn't even look up.

His head followed her down the long unsafe alley. No way was someone going to let her pass by without harm to her. It just wasn't something someone from around this part of town would do. He was never down that part of it, but he knew it wasn't safe from Trey's descriptions to never ever, under nothing go down there. He knew he shouldn't have, he knew he should just stay seated and leave her alone, but watching her run down there by herself in that skirt and top, his head wasn't working anymore. It was in his gene to protect anyone, and forget about himself. Well, it was Trey's gene, and he liked to think that he was the only type of family Ryan had.

It took quite a minute or two to catch up to her; she was running fast with her hands still over her face. Ryan caught up to her with ease though, because she was slowly getting tired and it gave him time to grab her. He snaked his arms around her waist, and tried not to make her jolt forward. Her hands flew away from her face, and her eyes bulged. He guessed she was thinking the worst, and started to smack him. "Hey! Hey! Stop, you're fine!"

"Oh yes, fine to get rapped?" She screamed out loud. It was the first time he heard her voice, and it was tear strangled, and ready to break.

"No, I'm just stopping you from getting rapped or hurt." Her knees went weak, and he supported her barley-there-weight.

"What?" She asked totally confused now. Seriously, did he look like some sleaze that wanted to rape people the same age he was? I mean, he was thirteen. But he guessed that she didn't feel too safe around anyone she didn't know. Hell, the way she looked, she shouldn't trust people she knew.

"I-I couldn't let you go down… um there," Ryan said looking down the alley that he knew was unsafe.

"Let me go!" She still must not believe him, although he did as she wished and took his arms from around her. She was about to run down that way again when he rolled his eyes and grabbed her again like a little child. She screamed and her knees collapsed again. Ryan caught her though, and she seemed to just completely go weak and helpless. He grimaced at the thoughts she must be thinking about him. Not the best way to save a girl. He picked her barley-there-weight body up wedding style, and carried her over to the concert barrier he always sat at waiting for Trey.

He sat her down upright on her bottom, and she curled her knees up into a fetal possession. She looked broken, and he couldn't blame her. He said nothing, but sat back up on the barrier and waited for his brother. She didn't move, but he could feel her eyes on him. It made him uneasy for her to be looking at him like that, so he looked over at her too. She shied away, and looked down.

He looked down at the old watch his brother had stolen him before he left, and realized it was time to head home. Another day without seeing the red, beaten up truck. He slid down off the barrier, and started to walk away. He realized he never got her name, but had too much pride to look back and ask. His brother had taught him something, and it was something Trey always said to do; never, under nothing, ask a person's name. He said that if it was just a one night stand (Which Ryan still had no idea what that was) you didn't need to know the name. Names just meant bad things. With no names, there couldn't be any strings attached. So he walked off, not looking back, and walked away from the girl. He decided to call her "The broken girl."

--

Another day of school done with, and another day of waiting for Trey, Ryan thought as he made his way to the alley Trey would pick him up at. It had been a long day, and he couldn't wait to just sit in his favorite place and wait for nothing. He came to the realization that Trey would never come; but it was Trey, you could never be too sure.

As he rounded the corner of a brick building, he noticed "The broken girl" sitting on his barrier again. He thought for a minute that she had been there all night, then realized she couldn't have possibly been, seeing as she had new clothes on, and a new fresh hairstyle. She had improved since the last time he seen her, no tears, and no signs of breaking down. Again, he didn't say anything, and sat down beside her. He looked over to her, and she was looking at him with a blue-green gaze that again made him feel uncomfortable. He looked back at her, and seen something wrong with her eyes. Maybe one was almost swollen shut, maybe because they were huge, but he thought that it was something more then that. Almost as if something was missing from them.

"What happened to your eye?" He asked, wondering why he wasn't listening to Trey's words of wisdom, and staying the hell away from her.

"My father."

"He hit you?" Ryan didn't mean to be nosy or anything, but he was somehow enraged about someone laying their hands on her. Even if it was someone like her father.

She didn't look him in the eye, and nodded. He nodded too, and looked the other way. They didn't talk anymore that day. So when two hours was up, he slide off the barrier, and started to walk home. Again, he didn't let himself look back at "The broken girl."

--

Two months. She had hit the two month mark. She never missed a day, unless it was raining, or she was sick. Even when she skipped school, he could be certain he would find her; "The broken girl."

It might be pathetic that he still didn't know her name, but it just never came up. They never talked the ears off one another, it was just a simple "How are you?", or "What kind of day are you having?", or "Where did you get that new bruise/cut?" He had found out that her mother was beaten to death by her father when he was drunk, and the cops never figured it out. He had slipped through, and then continued to drink, and being abusive towards "The broken girl." It scared him sometimes to think that she went back to him everyday after he let to go home. Not that his home was much of a difference, but he could defend for himself, while she was so weak. He also learned she had a big eating disorder, and now everyday he brought he one of Tresea's banana muffins. She ate it, and probably went home and binged it out, but he didn't want to even think about her doing that.

He slid up on the bench beside her, and looked at her and smiled. He passed the muffin to her, and she split it in half like she would normally. He took the other half from her, and picked the top of it off, putting it to his mouth. He didn't like banana's much, at all really; but he ate it for her sake. He was scared that if he refused to eat it, she would use that against him. "How was your day? You weren't at school."

"My dad locked me in my room last night, and is still asleep. I had to climb out my window to get here."

He nodded his head and said nothing. He didn't realize his knuckles went white from his grip until she brushed her cold hand against his. He looked back up at her and smiled, releasing his hand clenching fist. "He didn't hurt me. He just… just… I got too annoying for him to handle."

"Why would you say that?" He asked her, getting very annoyed with her father, even if he didn't know the man. It was out of his place to hate him, but by her tellings, he could always dislike him.

"He said I was being too quite, and he got annoyed that I was curled up so tight." She looked down, and it made him grimace at the thought of her small body being thrown in her own room, and locked in. By the sound of things, and the newly forming bruise on her upper arm, he knew it wasn't so gently either.

Two hours had past and neither one of them said anything more. He was about to slide of the barrier like he did everyday, when he heard the distant sound of the old red, beaten up truck. He looked over to "The broken girl" with huge eyes, and she looked back at him with equally big eyes. He had told her at some point of time why he came here everyday, and she must have realized it too. She had almost the look of fear in her eyes, and he wondered what that meant. He couldn't wonder long though when his brother was waiting in the truck along beside him. It was a sudden déjà vu or when he was younger and being picked up from school from his brother. Although now it was different. He was starting to have a life again, but know that his brother was back, he knew he had to leave it behind.

He knew that it wasn't so much of him building a new life, it was more like someone. That someone being "The broken girl." He had no choice though, he had to leave. He had been waiting for this day for a long time now, and there was no chance in hell he was going to throw it away. So he made his way over to the truck and opened the door. Trey looked over at him and smiled. He hadn't chanced much since Ryan had seen him last.

Before he got in, he looked over at "The broken girl." She had tears running down her face, and was starring at him. She must have knew that it would be the last time they could go to the alley together for the two hours anymore. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, she said "Marissa Cooper."

He looked at her, and tried to smile. Tears were close to his eyes; but Atwood's never cried. It was a well known fact. So he blinked and continued to stare at her. He knew that it was against the rules that Trey had taught him as a young child, but he couldn't care less. Trey had been only second in his mind for awhile now, and he realized that she had become the most important person in his life, and he was just finding out her name now. He knew there should be no strings attached as Trey would say, but he didn't know if he wanted there to be none. A name was finally put to "The broken girl's" face, and it meant he could never forget her. Names were a bad thing, they just made everything more difficult, but he knew he had always some way wanted the name to the face. He just wasn't sure if now was the right time to be telling her this.

"Ryan Atwood."

She sniffled her nose, and smiled through her tears at him. He smiled back and got in his brother's truck. As they sped off into the sunset together as the plan had originally been, he couldn't stop thinking about "The broken girl", that know had a name. Only he knew it was too late, and the strings that were now attached would have to be cut.

**A/N- Sorry if you find a million mistakes in this, but I'm not on my computer, I'm on my aunts, and she doesn't have the new updated software to catch my mistakes. Please review anyways.**


End file.
